San diego: An American imam called a shooting that left five people dead at an Islamic center in San Diego, California, on Monday 'extremely outrageous.'

According to Anadolu Agency, Taha Hassane, who serves as director of the Islamic Center of San Diego where the incident occurred, told reporters, "We have never experienced a tragedy like this before." Authorities reported that three victims and two suspected shooters were killed in the shooting incident at the center.

Expressing support for the community, Hassane emphasized that all places of worship in the city, including mosques, should always be protected. "It is extremely outrageous to target a place of worship. Our Islamic center is a place of worship. People come to the Islamic center to pray, to celebrate, to learn, not only Muslims, but we have people from all walks of life," he said.

He recounted that the morning before the incident, a group of non-Muslims visited the center "just to learn about our faith and our culture." Hassane added, "So this (attack) is something that we never expected."

The imam expressed deep gratitude for the people "who contacted us from all over the country, and even from overseas to give condolences," and to those who offered help.